Grand Circus, GROW and SalesPad help bridge the gap to tech careers during free Intro to Coding workshop

Attendees at Oct. 16 event will learn the fundamentals of coding and gain exposure to key technology skills during three-hour workshop led by Grand Circus

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Although there is a projected 10-year growth rate for technology positions in West Michigan according to Talent 2025, there is still a strong talent demand for who can fill those roles. To help develop more technology professionals in West Michigan, SalesPad, a Grand Rapids-based software company, announced today it is hosting a free Intro to Coding workshop in partnership with Grand Circus Grand Rapids and Grand Rapids Opportunities for Women (GROW) on Monday, Oct. 16 from 6-9 p.m. at SalesPad’s office, located at 3351 Claystone St. SE, Suite #100.

“We’ve seen a shortage in the talent pool in recent years and know we need to help create the future workforce,” said Matt Williams, SalesPad President. “We’ve partnered with many of our local universities for years, to hire great talent, but even that isn’t enough to keep pace with our current customers’ technology demands. These coding academies offer another great way to help fill that talent pipeline.”

The Grand Circus Intro to Coding workshop is designed for individuals who are curious about coding, but have little to no experience. Participants will learn the programming foundations needed to eventually build a website or mobile app. The workshop will cover topics including common terms used by programmers, data types, Boolean expressions and conditional statements. Kelsey Perdue and Tommy Waalkes of Grand Circus, as well as one to two Grand Circus instructors, will lead the bootcamp.

“Part of our success is working closely with the employer community and our partnership with SalesPad is an example of that success,” said Rumery, Grand Rapids Campus Director at Grand Circus. “SalesPad recently hired one of our students, and their employees attend our events. We can’t wait to bring community members to SalesPad’s office for an evening of learning and coding, and give them a behind-the-scenes look of a growing technology company.”

“GROW is pleased to partner with Grand Circus and SalesPad,” said Bonnie Nawara, GROW CEO. “As an economic development organization focused on women-owned businesses, we are excited to get more women in coding.”

Grand Circus addresses the disparity between the size of Michigan’s tech workforce and demand for tech talent by providing educational programs, including coding bootcamps and workshops that cover a variety of technology topics including web development, design and more.

GROW is a nonprofit organization focused on women business owners at various stages of business ownership. GROW empowers women entrepreneurs to launch, advance and sustain their businesses.

About SalesPadBuilt from a partnership between a small business owner and a developer, SalesPad knows operational ERP. It’s why we exist, and why more than 15,000 people trust SalesPad to manage their distribution operations. We believe that inventory is the lifeblood of a business. After all, you can’t sell what you don’t have. This is why we empower businesses by providing them 100% visibility into their inventory management process. We work alongside existing accounting platforms like Microsoft Dynamics GP and QuickBooks to deliver meaningful customer data without compromising the security of core financials. For more, visit salespad.net.

GROW provides its services on a nondiscriminatory basis. Language assistance services are available for limited English proficient individuals.

Mission:

Grand Rapids Opportunities for Women (GROW) is a service focused on women at various stages of business ownership. We are the entrepreneurial resource to help women take the next step, empowering and supporting them with professional expertise for a lifetime.

Equal Opportunity

Note that GROW is an equal opportunity employer. We take pride in the diversity of our staff, and seek diversity in our participants.